Burned
by AthanasiaDOZ
Summary: Fire is the bringer of life, and the bringer of death. Some embrace it, and some are burnt.
1. The Fire's Beginning

**The Fire's Beginning**

The sun burned into my eyes as I stepped out of the cave, drying my hair instantly. I breathed deeply, taking in the warm summer air. My muscles complained as I stretched fully, cramped from my long sleep. Then I sighed. It was morning. I was going to miss my small, wet cave out in the middle of nowhere. It almost made me feel safe. But I had to leave. My food was slowly diminishing and I had no way to obtain more. I picked up my bag, taking out my mask in the process. I put my mask over the right side of my face and stepped out into the forest, turning around in time to catch the last sight of my cave. As I was walking, all I could do was dread what I would have to do next. I just don't want to be caught again. Never.

* * *

The boat rocked slowly up and down. A teenage boy dressed in a green tunic was glaring at the waves with a hard anger, as if they were the sources of all his troubles. Just then, an old man with a long beard rushed towards him.

"Nephew, nephew!" he cried as he stopped next to the boy, catching his breath.

"What is it, Uncle?" the boy growled, still staring down into the deep water.

"Do you want some tea?" the old man grinned and pulled out a tea set.

The boy stared at his Uncle in silence.

"Well?" said the old man, "there's only a bit left."

His face slowly growing redder, the boy opened his mouth, and then seemed to decide against it. He shook his head, and turned back to the waves.

"Hmm, suit yourself" the man said as he sipped his cup of tea, relishing the flavour.

Both looked as another teenage boy came running towards them.

"Hey thanks for the help last night, Lee," he said as he reached them.

"I already told you," Lee said, turning back again, "it's no big deal."

"Sure was fun now." said the other teenager, twirling a piece of wheat in his mouth.

Lee grunted as the other boy walked back to his friends.

The old man was silent as he looked at his nephew.

"I'm glad you got us some food, Lee but…" he said.

"I know," Lee said quietly, "keep a low profile." There was silence for a few minutes.

"When we get there, don't forget to -" the old man suddenly cut off as a shout came from the cabin.

"Land ahoy! Land ahoy!" Silence. And then the whole boat cheered.

"We're here." the old man smiled.

* * *

It had been hours. I had been in the line for so long that my legs were getting cramped. I hadn't realised there would be so many refugees, like me. Another boat was coming in, bursting to the seams. This was going to take forever.

* * *

Lee picked up their bags and walked off the boat, to be granted a full view of the crowd below. His mouth fell open.

_There're so many refugees! I can't believe my nation did this! _He thought. Just then someone banged into him from behind.

"Watch where you're going - oh…" Lee shouted, before he turned to see the other teenage boy behind him. "Sorry," Lee said.

"No problem," he grinned, "how 'bout we go down as a group?" Lee nodded and they walked off the boat, the boy's friends and Lee's uncle trailing behind.

The two boys put their bags down on a bench and sat down.

"So what brought you guys here?" the boy asked.

Lee stared at his hands, his face calm. Only his uncle would have known how he was really feeling. That his face should have been contorted in agony instead. But the boy seemed to understand.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," he said, "but just remember that problems ignored are problems doubled." Lee stared at him as he stood up. "I should know," the boy smiled, and walked over to his friends.

The old man sat down next to Lee. "So, nephew, are you excited?" he grinned. "All we need now is some tea!" Lee groaned and started rummaging through his bag. "There you go." he said quietly, passing a tea cup to his uncle.

"But where am I supposed to get some?" his uncle asked.

Just then, a man walked past pushing a cart, "hot tea, get your hot tea here!"

"Convenient!" the old man beamed. Lee rolled his eyes as his uncle went up to the man.

When his uncle sat down again, Lee said quietly, "what's our plan when we get to the city?" There was a pause. "Uncle?" he asked.

"This isn't hot!" the old man shouted. Lee jumped. "How dare you," his uncle grumbled, and put his hand above the cup. He clenched his fist, and then put his hand back down on the bench. "That's better." he said.

Lee sat up straight and looked at his uncle. "You didn't…" he whispered.

He heard the other boy gasp as he looked at them. In a reflex, Lee hit the tea cup out of his uncle's hand. It hit the ground with a crash as hot tea made a puddle around the shards.

"What was that for?" his uncle asked.

"You know we can't…" Lee growled. "I can't believe you," he said, ignoring stares from the crowd surrounding them. "Let's go"

Lee didn't look at the other boy as they passed. He was frightened of what the other boy's face might say.

* * *

I'd finally reached the end of the line. The man at the booth asked for my ticket and I gave it to him, careful not to look him in the eye.

"Your name?" he asked.

"Jaya," I replied without blinking.

"All seems to be in order," he said, "you may go,"

"Thank you," I replied, hitching my bag up my shoulder and walking towards the gates.

"I'm finally here," I said quietly, "the Impenetrable City. Ba Sing Se."


	2. Ba Sing Se

**Ba Sing Se**

"Uncle!" Lee exclaimed.

"Here, here," he cried, passing a full tray of tea to his nephew.

"Mushi!" a man called.

"Coming boss," said the old man as his nephew came back with more orders.

Mushi ran over to his boss and then back to Lee, panting.

"He says… we've got delegates… from the palace… coming… tomorrow… so we... have to work extra hard…" he wheezed.

"Uncle," Lee smiled, "have a rest. I'll make the tea for the rest of the day."

"But I -"

"Mushi, let me do this"

"Okay," he nodded and walked out the back door of the shop.

"You've worked hard…" Lee whispered.

* * *

"Here's the last of them," I said, putting the boxes down and taking my gloves off.

"Thank you, Jaya." The women standing next to me said. "Here's your salary for the week."

I took the money and started counting it. "Hang on, this -"

"I gave you five more," she said, "I think you earned it."

"I can't -"

"Take it," she smiled, "you deserve it more than anyone."

I sighed. "But -"

"I know, I know, you're leaving," she said, "That means this is the best time to give you a raise. I sure will miss your hard work though. I don't think I'll ever find someone like you again," she whispered, almost as if it was to herself. "You're a lovely girl."

"Thank you, you're very kind," I said quietly, before turning away.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

Walking home, I was trying not to think of what had happened. So I didn't notice when I banged into someone right in front of me.

"What was that for!" the girl screeched.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I cried, "I wasn't looking where I was going, please forgive me." She stared at me.

"You give a good apology," she said.

"Thank -"

Suddenly, a boy came whizzing past us, almost hitting me.

"Aang!" the girl shouted. I flinched. Her voice was so loud. The boy stopped and ran back.

"Sorry Katara," he said solemnly.

"You better be! You almost knocked this nice girl over."

The boy turned to me and apologised.

"Good." Katara said, "What's your name?"

"Jaya," I told her, "it means victory."

"Awesome," said the boy, stepping into the lamplight.

I gasped, frozen. "You're -" another boy's face popped into my mind, one of joy and love. I shook my head and the image disappeared.

"The Avatar? Basically." The boy grinned. There was an arrow on his head, the symbol of an airbender…

"Say how would you like to come over sometime? I could use some girl company," Katara asked, looking at me.

"I was just about to leave this city, but I suppose…" I stopped and looked at the Avatar.

"I know someone who would really love to meet you," I said guardingly.

"For an autograph?" he grinned.

"Something like that," I whispered.

Walking home after work, I could only think of who I had just seen. And all I could do was wish with all my might that he wouldn't find Aang. He was one of the nicest and most energetic boys I'd ever met. I don't even dare to think of how Katara would feel.

I know if he knew I was thinking this, he would almost burst with anger.

"Don't you want me to be cleared?" he would shout, "So I can come home!"

But he doesn't know what happened to me after he left. With no-one left to care for me, they threw me out with no more than a word.

I can't imagine what he would do to his father if he found out. If he knew that when he went home, that I wouldn't be there…

He'd never been angry with me before. He was always gentle and kind. I so wish I could see him. But he's probably far from here…

I stopped. My legs couldn't move at all.

What if he was here? _'I have to leave.'_ I thought, _'I have to protect myself and Aang…'_

But what if I can protect him, what if I can protect both of them? They sent me to him because of my talent, right, so…

Even he doesn't know what I can do. What would he do if he found out? I dread to think of his reaction.

If he knew that I was his protection…

No, I have to leave. Aang and Katara know what they're doing. I have to leave today.

* * *

"Wasn't she nice?" Katara stated, "I think we should get to know her"

"You just think she was nice because you want some girl company," Sokka said, and burped.

"You are just disgusting," Katara sniffed and walked over to Aang. "What do you think?"

"She was cool, but -" Aang replied.

"You think everyone is Aang," Sokka cried, "you need to get a filter in that brain of yours. Let me demonstrate."

Sokka pointed to Katara, "Bad," then he pointed to himself, "good!"

Katara gasped, and lunged for her brother.

"Wait!" Aang shouted, "I wasn't finished!"

The two grew quiet and sat down.

"I don't think you should trust her Katara," Aang said, "Did you see her scar -"

"You can't judge anyone by a scar!" Katara cried. Silence fell as the trio thought of someone else they knew who had a scar…

"I know Katara," Aang said calmly, "But…" he narrowed his eyes, "she was Fire Nation."

Katara jumped up and stared at Aang. "Really?" she whispered.

"Yeah," Aang affirmed.

"How do you know?" Sokka asked.

"Did you see her hand?" Aang inquired.

"It had a… mark on it," Katara answered, "like four little fires around a diamond…"

"I've seen it before," Aang whispered, "and it's not a scar, it's a tattoo,"

"What do you mean?" Sokka said, "Is there something wrong with tattoos?

"It's not that," Aang said reluctantly, "but there's something wrong with this one."

"Why?" Katara cried, "just tell us already!"

"It's a mark that the Fire Nation puts on particular people"

"But why?" Sokka asked, "Is that the sign of a soldier or something?" He gulped.

"No. It's the sign of a -"

* * *

"SLAVE! Come back here you!"

I jumped and just managed to get out of the way a young boy ran past me, clutching a handful of apples. He had a green headband pushed up high on his head. The slave.

Suddenly an old lady ran into me, and I fell to the ground.

"Now look what you've done!" she screeched, "He's getting away!"

I flinched as she screamed in my ear. This felt very familiar. I laughed without humour. The lady stared at me.

"What are you laughing about?" she growled. She stepped towards me, took my shirt in her hand and-

"What's going on here?" a smiling old man walked slowly towards us.

I stared, startled. Suddenly I saw his face. Him!

Jumping up, I grabbed my veil from my bag and threw it over my face.

"Aren't you that worker from the tea shop?" the lady grumbled, "help me teach this girl a lesson."

"And why should I do that?" he answered calmly.

"Because she got in my way of course!" she screeched, "Honestly, the people here... fine then I'll let you go for now, but if I catch you again..." the old lady pushed off from the ground and limped in the direction the little boy had gone.

There was silence as I slowly stood up, brushing the dust off my clothes. I didn't dare look him in the eyes. What if he recognised me?

"Are you okay?" he asked kindly, "my name's Mushi, if you want you can come to the tea shop I work at. I can get you a cup of tea to help you relax."

"Thanks, but I don't really drink tea" I said quietly.

"Nonsense! Everyone drinks tea!" Mushi said cheerfully, grabbing my arm and taking me in the direction of his workplace.

_What have I got myself into now?_ I thought.


	3. Dangerous Circumstances

**Dangerous Circumstances**

Candlelight lit the dark room as Lee carried boxes across the room, opening them to inspect their contents. He shut the last box, labelled 'Jasmine Tea' and sighed. Looking around the room, he realised that it was getting late.

_'__I should get to bed soon'_ Lee thought, _'but where is Mushi? What's taking him so long?'_

He was just about to walk out the door to look for his Uncle when Mushi exploded into the room, his face lit up in a huge grin.

"Speak of the devil…" Lee murmured. "What happened to you, Uncle?"

"I bumped into someone on the way back," Mushi grinned, "She said she wanted a cup of tea!"

"I didn't say that…" the girl mumbled. She stood near the door, as if ready to escape, with a veil draped over her face.

"Well come here then," Lee called, beckoning to a small tray of cups. "Let's get this over with," he whispered.

The girl cautiously stepped towards Lee. Just as she stepped into the candlelight, she looked over at him. Her loud gasp broke the silence of the storage room. Standing stock-still in the corner, she stared at Lee's face as the two men, confused, looked at each other. There was silence again. Lee glanced back at the girl and slowly opened his mouth.

"Are you okay - "

"I shouldn't be here," the girl exclaimed, broken out of her trance, "I have to go!"

She turned and sprinted out of the dark room, leaving the two men staring after her.

"What was that about?" Lee asked, curious.

"I don't know," Mushi beamed, "but that just means more tea for me!"

Lee sighed again and turned towards the tray in order to make his Uncle some tea.

I ran out into the alley, my long black hair streaming out behind me in the wind. Only once I had ran at least a few hundred metres away from their lodgings did I stop to catch my breath. Panting, I sat down in the darkness of the alleyway, attempting to get my bearings back.

'I can't believe it' I thought, 'why are they here? Why did I have to run into them?'

Exhausted, I let myself dwell briefly on the appearance of my two former acquaintances. Lord Iroh, or 'Mushi', was older than when I'd last seen him. I tried not to think about the greyness of his hair, or the deep wrinkles that appeared to be slowly setting into his profile. At least he still shared the same cheerfulness as he had before. And the same love for tea.

As for, the other boy, I almost tried to stop myself from remembering his appearance and my impromptu reunion. But I couldn't. He looked so different from when I'd last seen him, when he was 13. Now at the age of 16, he had grown so much. He was as handsome as I had guessed he would be. With his long ponytail gone and his short, messy hair, paired with his sharp amber eyes, I almost had trouble believing that no-one had suspected him of being the banished Fire Nation prince. I almost wouldn't have known it was him. If it wasn't for the scar. I knew, as I watched his 'punishment' being administered 3 years ago that it was certain to leave a mark. I just didn't know that it would remain such an integral part of his appearance. Now, if I ever tried to describe him to any citizen of any nation, I feel as if all you would have to do is explain the scar. Looking at him in that dark room, I almost teared up as I looked upon the results of his father's wrath. It didn't make him any less handsome. It was just that, seeing the scar, all I could remember is the dreadful day it was imposed on him. That was also the day they threw me out. Because he was gone they didn't need me anymore. In fact I'm surprised they didn't kill me.


	4. Farewell for Now

**Farewell for Now**

After a long night spent in the alleyway, where sleep eluded me, I stood up and faced the huge wall that surrounded the city. I knew I could not stay here any longer. If he found me, if he figured out who I was… I guessed I would look quite different than when he knew me. I'd finally been able to grow my hair out, so it now reached my waist in an obsidian wave. My scar was the most prominent feature of my face, like his now was. But he didn't know I had it so… No, there was no point wondering if he would know it was me. I must leave. Now.

So I turned towards the city wall, off to who knows where. Honestly, I just wanted to get away from him. Anyone but him.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Sokka whispered, "You heard what Aang said."

Katara glared at him, and sighed, "Yes, I did, and it's because of that very reason we must find her now. Answers."

The two siblings were walking down a deserted alleyway, looking for the girl Katara had met the day before.

"How are we even going to find this, er… Jaya or whatever her name is?" Sokka asked.

"What about Jaya?" A boy's voice exclaimed from above.

"Wha - "

"Aang," Sokka grimaced, "What are you doing here?" he said, glaring at his sister.

"I followed you!" he grinned.

"Great," Katara grumbled.

"So are we going to try and find her then?" Aang asked.

"Yes," she sighed, continuing down the alleyway, pulling Sokka along with her.

"But you do remember what I said, right?" Aang frowned, looking forlornly down the unnaturally long alleyway before them.

"Ugh, how long is this thing?" Sokka groaned, kicking a nearby basket into the air, instantly succeeding in hitting someone who had just walked out of an alley to their right.

"Ow," the stranger moaned, turning to look at the perpetrator.

"Jaya!" Katara shouted, running up to hug her.

"Oh," she exclaimed, "It's you guys again."

"We were just looking for you," Sokka grinned.

"We have some questions for you," Aang growled menacingly.

"Guys…" Katara groaned, "Come on, walk with us."

"I can't," Jaya sighed, staring at the encircling walls of the city.

"Why not?" they all asked, as she stared at them.

"Cause I'm leaving the city today," Jaya stated, "I've been here way too long."

"Really? But why?" Katara asked.

"Reasons"

"Reasons?"

"Aka none of your business, sis," Sokka exclaimed, grinning at her.

Katara sighed. "Sorry, Jaya, he's right." She murmured.

"Wait, what was that?" Sokka cried, "Say that again please," he said, putting his hand on this ear and leaning towards his sister.

"Ugh, shut up Sokka," Katara growled, "Anyway, sad as I am to hear that you're leaving, is there anything we can do for you before you leave?"

"Huh?" Jaya asked, dumbfounded, "Well I guess you could help me find a way out of this giant city, I can't quite seem to find the gates."

"Easy peasy!" Aang exclaimed, "Here we go!" He suddenly let out an extremely high pitched whistle, causing some nearby pigeons to fly away in terror. Instantly, a man holding onto the reins of a donkey pulling a cart stopped right in front of them. "Get in!" Aang grinned. The other three stared at each other for a few seconds before hesitantly getting into the cart. "To the gates please!" Aang cried, as the cart set off down the alleyway.

"I still have no idea how you did that, Aang," Katara stated.

"Pure awesomeness, that's how," Aang exclaimed. "We're here!"

Jaya stepped slowly off the cart, staring longingly at the gates, before turning back to the three still on the cart.

"Thank you," she smiled, "I don't know how I'm going to repay you."

"Just thank us by joining us if we need you."

"And counting us as your friends," Aang grinned, "Don't forget us!"

"Not going to be easy," Jaya said. "It's been really nice to meet you all and I wish I wasn't leaving like this."

"Don't worry about it," Aang smiled sadly, "It's been hard on everyone recently."

"Yeah," she murmured, "Well I guess this is goodbye then."

"For now," Katara said.

"Yes," Jaya sighed, as she walked towards the gates that would take her out of Ba Sing Se.


	5. Chance Encounter

**Chance Encounter**

I opened my eyes to see the bright sunlight leaching into my cave, warming me up. This cave was one of the nicer ones. I hadn't been this lucky in a long time. Out of habit, I reached towards the rock beside me, before remembering I did not need to. I hadn't worn my mask in a long time. After seeing his scar, my pain with mine almost seemed trivial compared to the effect his had given him. So now I wore my scar out for all to see. It seemed fair. But I did lean over my other side, to get my gloves. After my encounter with the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, I was almost certain he had noticed my tattoo. And, realising that it was perhaps a greater example of my Fire Nation status than my appearance, I now took great care to cover it up. It seems that once you've embraced one scar, you discover another, greater one. Putting on my gloves, I stood up, retrieved my bag, and walked out the cave. I would be sad to leave it. Knowing that I wouldn't find another cave as nice as this one, I stared at it for a few minutes, before I finally left. At this kind of time, you wonder what you've come to. I mean, living out of caves for three years? How depressing. Even those times were better than this, because I had him…

After walking aimlessly for the whole day, I was about to give up and find a place to sleep among the trees when I noticed that they were thinning up ahead. That means there must be a clearing, I rushed towards it, reaching the open air when…

Oh, so that's why the trees were thinning. Great. There was a giant cliff in front of me. No clearing, just a cliff. Well that's just perfect. Why are there no caves around here? I was just about to turn around, when I heard laughing coming from below. Curious, I creeped slowly to the edge of the cliff, and leaned carefully forwards. Gasping, I took in the sight of the tiniest bit of ground. Ground that looked touched by the hands of men. The laughing continued as I leaned forward even more to see if I could see where it was coming from. Leaning forwards even more, I was so close to seeing them, so close…

"Woah," a voice behind me said, grabbing my arm.

"Geez!" I screeched, jumping backwards and falling onto the ground.

"Sorry," the stranger mumbled, "Didn't mean to scare you,"

I stared down at my gloved hands, hesitant to look up at the stranger.

"It just looked like you might fall off to be honest," the voice chuckled.

I sighed, putting my hands down and standing up, "It's okay," I murmured.

"I think I might have met you before!" the stranger cried, "In Ba Sing Se! How weird."

"Huh? What do you mean?" I said, looking up.

"Oh yeah, you were the girl that my Uncle brought in to the tea shop for a second," he stated, "You ran off so quickly, it was weird." He looked off into the distance, before looking back at me. "Hey, what are you doing here, this place is - " He stopped and stared at me. "Are you okay there?"

Frozen, I stayed silent, staring at his face. So many thoughts were running through my head. Why is he here, does he recognise me, what is he like now? I had no answers. All I could do was stare at him, drinking in his appearance. What else could I do?

"Look, I'm going down there," he sighed, "To try and meet some people who probably don't want to see me at all, to join them." He walked towards the side of the cliff, before turning back to me. "Are you coming?"

I wondered whether it would be easier to just leave him right then and there, next to the cliff. I would never have to see him again. I could escape the pain of him being here next to me. But did I want that? How would I feel if I never got to see him again? It was that which finally changed my mind.

"Yes." I said.


End file.
